Thank You, Mom

Me, Mom & Kelli 1978

This was one of my Mom's favourite hymns.

Where can I turn for peace?Where is my solace When other sources cease to make me whole?When, with a wounded heart, anger, or malice I draw myself apart searching my soul?
Where, when my aching grows?Where, when I languish?Where, in my need to know?Where can I run?Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?Who, who can understand?He, only One.
He answers privately.Reaches my reaching.In my Gethsemane, Savior, and friend.Gentle, the peace He finds For my beseeching.Constant He is, and kind.Love without end.

As I sit here tonight listening to Holly practise the piano (Holly knows that all she has to do to get out of anything especially chores is sit down and play), I can't help but be reminded of the hours I listened to my Mom play on the same piano while I was growing up. Mom always woke us up on Sunday Mornings by playing her favourite hymns. She taught us to love music and especially the peace that that music can bring. Even as her failing health took away her ability to play, the messages in the hymns she loved so much gave her and my sister and I the strength and understanding we needed to endure the heartache.

Tomorrow would have been her 69th birthday. In the more than six years since her passing there has been much healing. Her musical talents have lived on in her Grandchildren. I love you, Mom and the musical legacy you left us.

Okay, I Finaly Did It....

I hate to admit that I have never done it before....But,today I finished reading The Book of Mormon for the first time(start to finish, it took me two weeks). Don't get me wrong, I have read from The Book of Mormon, plenty. But reading four or five verses every couple of months or looking up scriptures in a Sunday School class, wasn't really getting me any where. I hate to admit it but I think I read the phone book more often. It is not that I haven't had every opportunity to read it before, I have. I have just never to advantage of them.
I am a person that has very child-like faith. If my heart tells me something is good or true, that's good enough for me. I don't need to know or understand the hows or whys. My testimony of the truthfulness of the (LDS) Church and The Book of Mormon began as a very small child in Primary. We sang songs about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the love each of them had for me and songs that told of the stories of The Book of Mormon and my heart told me it was true. My testimony has grown from there.
There was no life altering event or "ah-hah" moment that made me decide I needed to read it now. I just felt it was something I needed to do for me. My heart has been touch many times over the last two weeks as I have read. It was something I needed to do. I know The Book of Mormon is true because my heart still tells me so.

The following is link to a "Mormon Message" entitled "The Book of Mormon"were Elder Jeffery R Holland (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) gives a powerful testimony of The Book of Mormon....This is part of one of my favourite general conference talks ever.

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&channelId=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&sourceId=561c6a86bdcf7210VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Oh Happy Day :)

Air force Beach....7 minutes from my door step. Believe me, I know its tough living in a place like this (winky face). I swear today was my gift for putting up with the ankle biters all summer. First day with no kids and I spent the afternoon on the beach with friends. The weather was perfect, warm breeze, salt air and sand between my toes. I sure hope this is what heaven is like.

Tooth Fairy :)

The Tooth Fairy at our house has been "retired" for more than a year. But this didn't stop our nearly twelve-year-old Alex from trying to swindle some cold hard cash.... This is the note left in the living room....Alex batted her eyes as she told us she still believed in the tooth fairy and expected at least a dollar for her efforts. Nice try girl...good thing you are headed back to school , time to work on that spellin'

First Day of School/Does This Back Pack Make My Butt Look Big???

First Day of School...I had to financially encourage(bribe) them to take these pictures Bailey, Holly, Madison ...Off to High School...were has the time gone

Dallyn & Alex

We are still laughing...last night Dallyn parades through the kitchen with his new back pack on and says "Does this back pack make my butt look big??" Man, we love that boy

This morning went off without a hitch. They were all looking forward to going back so they were up and at 'em before I was.

I love back to school, its so quiet...the only trade off , I guess I have to go and get my own ice water now.

Today Was A Privilege...

Grant and I are both serving in leadership callings in our ward. It keeps us very busy and out of trouble. There are moments when at least I feel over-whelmed with the demands of a large family, husband that works more than full time and of all the needs our callings bring. Then there are days like today when I am instantly reminded of what a privilege it is to serve amongst my friends. We witness first hand hearts touched, prayers answered and lives changed. This reaffirms my testimony of how much our Heavenly Father loves each of us as individuals. He knows our hearts and answers our silent prayers. Today was a privilege.

Taking Kids Grocery Shopping....You Are CRAZY

Yup I think I am now certifiably crazy. We took all five kids with us grocery shopping today. They wore us down and we totally caved, well at least Grant did. I am denying any responsibility. I can count on one hand the number of times, we have taken ALL the rugrats since, Holly turned elven nearly six years ago. I instantly realized our mistake, we didn't even make it of the loser cruiser before they were arguing over who got to push the carts, yes carts, it takes at least two. We look like a school field trip gone wrong.

"Are they ALL your kids??", "Must be stocking up for the winter or something??" "You have quite the family" "Must be feeding an army." People can't help themselves, there is always someone who has to say something. Keeping all the kids in the with in 50 yards of us is like herding chickens. And if I hear "Mom can I have this?" on more time....Grant is such a kid pleaser, hence the four family-size boxes of Lucky Charms. If it were up to me they would eat the "Crisp Rice" Wal-Mart makes. Some one let the ten year old push one of the carts and of course the back of my ankles will never be the same again.

Two hours and two heaping carts later we headed for the tills. I can't imagine what the check out person is thinking (Grant is their boss).....what crazy person buys 60 cans of Campbell's Soup (on sale), 12 loaves of bread, 4 dozen eggs....

As we loaded it all and them back in the van, one of the kids had the audacity to ask "Mom & Dad why are you so grumpy?" Yup, it will be along time before we do that again.